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1.06.2011

So since it is the beginning of a new year everyone is trying to get fit. I figure I would list some good social networking fitness sites. Losing weight can be a lot more fun when you do it as a group. It also can be beneficial to have someone holding you accountable for your exercise.

1.05.2011

So you think that your avatar on your twitter account is getting stale maybe? Avatars on twitter are a huge part of your personal brand. An avatar is a computer users representation of themselves it is pretty much your personal logo for twitter. It represents you and people associate it with your name.

This morning I logged onto twitter thinking about switching my avatar and I began to truly think about what it actually means to change your avatar. It is actually a critical part of your brand identity on twitter. Your brand Identity on twitter is made up by your name, your description, your avatar, your background image, and your writing style. (?) All of those items are who you are to people on twitter.

So after contemplating this and thinking about this in a corporate sense changing your avatar needs to be done carefully and with a full understanding as to the implications to your brand image. What if the GAP changed their logo on a weekly basis think about how that would affect their image? I truly believe once you have one in place stick with it and let it evolve slowly. There are avatars on twitter that drive me nuts, but you know what? I associate that icon with the quality of posts I have seen from them in the past. I don't know 99% of the people's names I follow on twitter but I can recognize their avatar if I saw them in a lineup. I for instance should care around a paper mustache so people recognize me if they see me in person.

One tweep @Minervity or Richard Darell has avatar he has stuck with for a very long time and it is embedded in my head with an association with mass amounts of data from bit rebel.

@ChrisVoss is a great tweep and he pushes out mass amounts of data, but he changes his avatar all the time. Personally every time he does it I think who is that guy and I have to figure out who it is again. Correction: I mentioned Chris Voss but I was wrong he has not changed his avatar in over a year. See... I have no idea who is that person is! :)

Of course you can change your avatar… You need to find one that you are happy with and you want to keep your brand in style. But try to stick with one that works don't change it as you would on facebook. I recommend trying to evolve the one you have so try to at least not go from personal pic to a cartoon character to a piece of artwork you love. Keep it similar and only do it if you must.

Here are my twitter avatar tips:Find the avatar you like for twitter and stick with it.

Understand that it is a major component of your personal brand on twitter.

If you change it announce the fact you did it so people are not wondering who the new tweep is on their screen.

As always remember your brand covers all social media so try your hardest to keep them all inline together. (I am bad at that)

1.03.2011

I have read many articles in the paper about the condition of detroit and I have seen many news reports. But today pictures spoke louder then words. The amazing photography of Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre truly tell of the tragidy of what has happened in Detroit Michagan. Take a minute and review these pictures, they really tell a story of how fabulous Detroit once was and what its current status is in these modern ruins.

William Livingstone House, Brush Park, a French Renaissance-style house designed by Albert Kahn in 1893 and demolished since this photograph was taken. Photograph: Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre Waiting hall, Michigan Central Station Photograph: Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre